An overwhelming majority of Regence members would recommend their doctor to others, according to a popular online survey on the company’s member Web site, myRegence.com. A “Member Feedback” feature on the site allows Regence members to post feedback on their experiences with individual providers, including physicians, dentists, other health care professionals and facilities.

“Our own research and national studies show that patients want to hear from other patients,” said David Clark, senior vice president of Health Care Services for Regence. “We created the feedback feature so members can share experiences and compare notes. That kind of information helps our members make better decisions about their health care.”

According to Clark, 89 percent of those leaving feedback would recommend their provider to someone else. Those statistics come from more than 28,000 reviews posted on the Web site since October 2006.

Initially, the feedback feature allowed members to rate providers on a numeric scale. Since December 2007, members have also been able to leave comments.

“The majority of comments are overwhelmingly positive,” said Clark. “…When concerns are raised, it is usually about issues such as waiting time, listening skills, billing issues or bedside manner, issues that most physicians are already working to address.”

Asked if the company had any concerns the new feature may backfire by allowing candid postings, Lee Tucker Therriault, media relations manager, said there were some concerns, as with any change, but the company designed the feature “very mindfully.” “Providers had a few months to become familiar and comfortable with the tool before it ‘went live’/” on the member site. By having our providers ‘test drive’ the tool, we were able to engage them and obtain their feedback, which we incorporated into the final product,” she said.

Therriault said responsible use of the feature is facilitated by limiting comments to one per claim and requiring members to register and create unique identities before being able to post.

She said the tool plays into the nonprofit organization’s focus on transparency, which allows consumers to make more effective decisions about their healthcare.

“Ultimately, Regence’s transparency effort is intended to provide our members with access to health information across multiple dimensions of value , allowing members to choose their providers based on the attributes most important to them and to encourage members to become more actively involved in their own health care,” she said.

The Member Feedback feature available to Regence members is the first of its kind in the Pacific Northwest/Intermountain region, according to Regence officials. The feedback tool allows providers to review comments and reply to them.

The feature is the latest in a series of online elements Regence is developing to help members gain a better understanding of the health care system and how they can make informed decisions about their health, the company said. In early 2009, Regence plans to launch an enhanced version of the company’s Expanded Provider Profile feature as well as additional information on costs within the health care system.